MCD polls: AAP MLA’s close aides arrested over cash-for-ticket

New Delhi: Ahead of the MCD polls scheduled to take place next month, Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch Wednesday arrested three people including the brother-in-law of AAP MLA from Model Town Akhilesh Pati Tripathi in a cash-for-ticket case.

The three arrested persons are – Tripathi’s brother-in-law Om Singh, PA Vishal Pandey and Prince Raghuvanshi.

ACB officials said that AAP worker Shobha Khari, wife of Gopal Khari, was allegedly asked for Rs 90 lakh by MLA Tripathi in exchange for a councillor ticket for Ward No. 69 in Kamla Nagar.

The complainant (Gopal Khari) said that he paid Rs 35 lakh to Akhileshpati Tripathi and Rs 20 lakh to Wazirpur MLA Rajesh Gupta as a bribe, the officials added.

The remaining Rs 35 lakh was to be paid after securing the ticket.

When Khari did not find her name on the list, she went to Om Singh asking him to refund the money.

In the meantime, the complainant approached ACB with video proof of paying the bribe. 

ACB officials arrested Om Singh, Shivshankar Pandey and Prince Raghuvanshi red-handed with cash when they went to Khari’s house to return Rs 33 lakh.

BJP spokesperson and IT head Amit Malviya took to Twitter to ask what percentage of the money collected by selling tickets is being sent to Arvind Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal’s MLAs are selling tickets for MCD elections. 3 people have been arrested so far. AAP MLAs are doing what Kejriwal and cohorts do. So no surprise there.



But the question is what percentage of money collected is being sent to Kejriwal? pic.twitter.com/ifHldORLf9

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 16, 2022

Shehzad Poonawala, the national spokesperson of BJP, called Aam Aadmi Party a “Lootera party”.

AAP is a Lootera Party



After Sharab Loot, Hawala Loot , Bus Loot, Classroom Loot, DJB Loot , Tihar Sukesh Loot now Cash for Ticket loot



Will Kejriwal ji sack the 2 MLAs till a full probe takes place or play victim card!



Not the first time such allegations have been made pic.twitter.com/xm2gRlM1Th

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) November 16, 2022